BIRTH
"Birth"'' is the first episode of the first season of the United Universe, Captain America Series.'' Synopsis World War II has erupted! The United States has joined the war and has created a secret military organization, the Strategic Scientific Reserve. The SSR then recruits a young frail and skinny man named Steve Rogers to a top secret super-soldier program. Plot In 1942, at a recruiting station in Brooklyn, New York, Steve Rogers eagerly awaits the opportunity to enlist in the United States Army. Looking at him and his files, the army doctor rejects Steve’s application because of his various health and physical problems. Distraught, Steve heads to the movies. He envies enlisted men featured in the newsreel. An impatient moviegoer begins yelling at the screen, Steve tells the bully to shut up and is surprised to see the bully stands up and towers above him. In an alley behind the theater, the bully savagely beats up Steve. He tries to fight back but is overpowered. James “Bucky” Barnes, Steve’s best friend, comes running to the alley. He beats the bully away and tends to Steve. Bucky is now an enlisted man, as well as quickly promoted to Sergeant, and has been assigned to the 107th Infantry. In a celebratory mood, Bucky invites Steve on a double date with a pair of girls. They head to the World’s Fair in Queens, New York and watches inventor, Howard Stark, unsuccessfully demonstrate a flying car. Steve breaks away from the group and goes to another recruiting station. Bucky catches him and tells Steve to stop forging his application but Steve tells him that he wants to help in the war. Anyhow, Bucky wishes Steve good luck on his latest application and returns to the girls. Inside, Steve sits on an examination table and grows nervous when an MP enters the room, and is soon followed by Dr. Abraham Erskine, who has all Steve’s prior applications. Recognizing Steve’s strong will and unwavering conviction, Dr. Erskine accepts Steve’s application and recruits him to the Strategic Scientific Reserve as part of a “super-soldier” experiment under Erskine himself, General Chester Phillips and Howard Stark. Rogers went to various military trainings at Camp Lehigh under British Agent, Peggy Carter. Steve proved to be the weakling of his platoon; always comes last in training exercises and is unable to show strength. Though, during one training exercise, Steve outsmarts every trainee and is rewarded a ride back on Peggy Carter’s military jeep. Despite being the smallest and weakest of his platoon, Dr. Erskine sees something special about him and tells General Phillips that Rogers is a suitable candidate. During an exercise, Phillips is unconvinced by Erskine's claims that Rogers is the right person for the procedure and preferred Private Gilmore Hodge instead. He tests the recruits by throwing a grenade in the middle of the field. The rest of them take cover while Rogers commits an act of self-sacrificing bravery by covering the grenade with his own body. After seeing this, General Phillips finally buy reluctantly agrees with Dr. Erskine. The night before the treatment, Erskine reveals to Rogers that a German Nazi also went treatment. But due to the imperfect version of the serum, the German suffered permanent side effects. The following morning Steve and Peggy wind their way through Brooklyn. Along the way Steve points out various parts in Brooklyn where he’s beaten up. Peggy asks him why he never ran away. He responds that running away was an invitation to further abuse. They came to a stop in an old antique shop where Steve witnesses Peggy exchange passcodes to an old woman manning the register which reveals a secret military bunker concealed within. Steve is introduced to Howard Stark. General Phillips was in attendance, who welcomed members of the Congress and Senator William Brandt, who was escorted by Phillips’ assistant, Pvt. Lorraine. Dr. Erskine preps Rogers and injects him with Penicillin. Rogers is then subjected to the super-soldier treatment, injecting him with the super-soldier serum and dosing him with “Vita-Rays”. The procedure went into overload but Steve tells Stark not to shut down. As the machine begins to suck all the power, Steve screams in pain but the procedure is a success and Steve emerges from the experiment taller and more muscular. Dr. Erskine and Peggy inspect Rogers while the attendees congratulate General Phillips. During the inspection, Erskine is killed by one of the attendees, and steals the last remaining serum. Nazi spies attempt an extraction but Peggy pursues the assassin and kills his getaway driver while the rest of the SSR agents fend off the other spies. The assassin steals a taxi and tries to run over Peggy but Steve saves her just in the nick of time. Steve pursues the assassin on foot to the streets of Brooklyn. They came to a stop at the docks where the assassin takes a young boy hostage and throws him in the water. Steve tries to rescue the boy but the latter tells him that he can swim back. Steve then continues his pursuit. Distracting Steve, the assassin tries to flee to his submarine, which dives underwater just as Steve arrives. Steve dives and punches a hole through the cockpit’s glass and throws the assassin to the surface. Before Steve could interrogate, the assassin commits suicide via cyanide capsule. Steve tries to recover the serum but it has been destroyed during the chase. SSR personnel arrive at the scene; Peggy tells Steve that Erskine didn't make it and reveals to him that the assassin was Heinz Kruger, a Nazi spy. Steve laments over the lost of Dr. Erskine and Peggy escorts him back.